Wildcat administration shuffles assistant principal deck in search of winning hand
Students tremble as they walk a delicate line, fighting to maintain balance in all aspects of life as school demands heighten. Students may forget, or just not realize, that adults deal with the same balancing act, and the work-life balance in their own lives often makes for challenging decisions.
Former Assistant Principal Cory Beaulieu was faced with just such a choice and has decided to return to his roots as a classroom teacher after four years in administration.
“The decision was mainly centered around family and achieving work-life balance,” he said. “It’s really important for me to prioritize family now that I have a one-year-old daughter.”
Making the decision easier was the opportunity to serve as a Special Education resource teacher in his original subject of English for junior students and teachers alike. Beaulieu still tends to rigorous demands, however, he feels less scattered as he directs his energy in a single direction.
“In admin, your area of focus is the whole school,” he said. “Now, I’ve been able to find more balance because I can take all that energy and focus on my English 3 classes, my resource students, and the students I see on a daily basis.”
Beaulieu looks forward to seeing the same faces everyday and having tangible evidence of the growth that occurs in his classroom. Meanwhile, former Assistant Principal Aaron Herm has taken on his own new challenges as the head principal of Kaukauna High School.
These decisions left significant shoes to fill, but students can take comfort in familiarity as two veterans stepped into those footsteps. Both Heidi Wheaton and Gillian Pakula have spent over two decades at West, and both are eager for new challenges.
For Wheaton, the shift is more dramatic. She spent the first 24 years of her career in education as a counselor, and went to school for audiology, the study of hearing, prior to that.
“I really liked working in the clinic for audiology, but what I liked the most was helping families and kids get assistance when they needed it,” she said. “Families needed support or wanted programs to go to if their child had a hearing loss, and I loved being the person to hook them up with resources and having that community connection. I liked doing that much more than the actual testing of the hearing.”
Wheaton’s initial plan was to continue studying audiology in graduate school, but she made the decision that being a counselor would bring greater fulfillment. She got her degree in school counseling at UW Milwaukee before coming back to West, where she has since spent the entirety of her counseling career.
“I had a lot of conversations about student’s mental health, working through family issues and friend issues, and maintaining balance during junior year, which is really challenging academically,” she said. “I also worked on the scheduling side of things, and helped when students were looking to make sure that their path matched up with the classes they were taking.”
Her favorite part of the job was getting to work with the same students through the entirety of their high school journey.
“We did the looping model, so each counselor works with one grade level and moves through with the students until they graduate. I really enjoyed watching the developmental levels people go through, and seeing the amazing change in maturity between sophomore and junior year,” Wheaton said. “I really love getting to know students and their individual stories.”
While she was content as counselor, upon finding out that both assistant principal positions were open, she felt it was an appropriate time to challenge her leadership abilities.
“I know the school very well, I know a lot of the teachers, and I truly care about West,” she said. “I wanted to do something that would carry over a lot of our traditions and what we know West to be, without that being lost in translation or transition.”
Gillian Pakula also values maintaining Wildcat integrity. Originally working in physical education, Pakula began her time in 2002. Her time as a volleyball coach and PBIS (Positive Behavior Intentions and Supports) member prepared her to step into a leadership role when she became Dean of Students three years ago. This year, her responsibilities are shifting once more.
“First and foremost, I’m supporting the school and (Head Principal) Ms. Montour’s run of the school. Ms. Wheaton and I split up tasks to make sure responsibilities get done for Ms. Montour. For example, I’m taking on the testing part of our building,” she said. “I also focus on teacher support and getting in the classroom to help teachers support students and their learning.”
Pakula’s biggest fear was being deprived of student interaction. However, she’s been pleasantly surprised by the number of students who approach her on a day to day basis.
“Even though as a dean you’re usually thinking of discipline and consequences, I really enjoyed the relationship piece and working with students to find solutions,” she said. “I expected to miss that so much, but what I’ve found so far is that I’ve been able to do both, but now I’m more on the adult side, which is exciting.”
On the other hand, Wheaton’s days have shifted. As a counselor, she constantly engaged in conversation as a listener. Now, she feels more actively engaged in conversation, allowing her social skills to flourish.
“The students that I’m getting to know are different in some ways from the ones I was in contact with before. I feel like I’m getting to know more people because now, I get to go to them instead of having them come to me,” she said. “I enjoy going to lunch everyday, and I feel much more social than I did before.”
Both assistant principals have been approaching the role as a new challenge. Some assume that the biggest challenge is having a group of entirely new administrators. However, each member of the admin team has experience and qualifications, and they’ve found strength in each other along the way.
“We’ve really leaned into each other a lot since we’re all so new to our roles,” Pakula said. “Ms. [Marina] Kodet and myself are grades 10 and 12; and [Justin] Hable and Wheaton are nine and 11, but we all work together on everything so that we stay consistent and understand the process and procedure.”
Wheaton agrees, and feels honored to have the opportunity to steer West in a new direction.
“It’s nice because we’re able to develop things the way we want. Also, the last admin team was very generous and left all kinds of documents, guides, playbooks, and checklists for us,” she said. “It’s been really nice to be able to put our own spin on it while also having documents to look back on.”
So far, the admin team has prioritized making themselves known. They have been trying to familiarize students with their faces through live announcements and homeroom activities. In high school rom coms, the assistant principals are often presented as stingy and cruel. Wheaton and Pakula, however, look to be approachable, warm, and kind to any students craving conversation or assistance.
“I hope students feel comfortable coming and talking to us and that we aren’t just viewed as the discipline team,” Wheaton said. “We hold through with rules but our main goal is to be helpful and supportive to students.”
by Jazmine Blustin
Published October 7 2024
Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue I